Have you noticed that many of us tend to get hung up on what is going wrong in society today? We get upset about laws we don’t like, we worry about what we don’t have and we get upset over life’s minor inconveniences. We complain about our governments, our taxes and our jobs. We overlook the many reasons why today is the very best time to be alive in all of human history.

Below are a just a few of the reasons why today is arguably the best time to be alive. Though people still struggle, we have made a lot of improvements and overcome a lot of global issues. To be alive today is far easier for the average person than it was to be alive just a few decades ago.

Even when things are rough, uncomfortable or displeasing, the simple fact that we are alive right now is a tremendous reason to be grateful in life. Here’s why:

1. There was a time before Google when information was hard to find.

Today, you can find the answer to just about any question you have quickly and easily. But before the days of Google and Yahoo, if you hadn’t learned it on your own or knew someone who had, you were pretty much out of luck. We often take this immense gift for granted.

Knowledge is power, and many people today can access that power simply by switching on their laptops or reaching into their pockets and pulling out their smart phones.

2. There was a time where torture and capital punishments were common (and public) occurrences.

Can you imagine living through the reign of terror during the French Revolution, where thousands of people were put to death via guillotine? Can you imagine witnessing a public hanging first hand as a child? I’d continue on with examples, but it’s just too disturbing for me to spend more time on this subject.

Though we aren’t a completely “non-violent” species, we have come a long way.

3. There was a time where slavery and subjugation were considered socially acceptable.

There have been many people in history who spent their entire lives as someone else’s property, or who were been captured and held in captivity.

Most people today enjoy a greater degree of freedom than many did in the past. While we might still feel trapped at times by the systems we live in, we still have far greater independence than many who have come before us.

4. There was a time where travel was dangerous and extremely challenging.

Today, we have many forms of transportation that make travel far easier and quicker than it was in the past. We travel in cars and on airplanes and trains rather than by foot, horseback or carriage.

Travel has become so easy that many of us now have the opportunity to travel just for fun, rather than out of necessity. Travel that used to take a lifetime now only takes hours.

5. There was a time when outbreaks of illness were extremely common.

In the Middle Ages, for example, at least a third of the European population was wiped out by the plague, and it was common to lose one’s entire family to illness. To be sure, people still get sick, but our exposure to deadly disease has been drastically reduced.

These are just a few reasons why now is the best time to be alive in human history. Although some of these items aren’t particularly happy things to think about, hopefully they do offer a little bit of perspective.

As a species, we have come a very long way, and we have created a pretty awesome improvement in our average standard of living. It would be hard to imagine living in an earlier time in human history by today’s standards.

Life will never be “perfect.” It is always evolving, and there will always be something greater that we are reaching for. However, we’ve already created quite a lot to be proud of! When life’s got us down, remembering those who have come before us can help us to stay positive and optimistic about where we are today.

About the author:Andrea Schulman is a former high school psychology teacher and the creator of Raise Your Vibration Today, which provides free and easy Law of Attraction techniques. She will be available for group educational seminars and webinars starting in the summer of 2015.